We have released slightly updated (irs05b) versions of our 38 kHz IR proximity sensors and discontinued the previous (irs05a) versions. The main changes are to the locations of the IR emitter and receiver, which have been moved away from the edge of the board. This results in better shielding from the PCB itself, which improves performance. Also, the front edge is now routed rather than scored to provide a cleaner edge that also slightly improves the sensor performance and consistency.

Like the originals, these new sensors are available in high-brightness and low-brightness versions with typical sensing ranges up to around 24″ (60 cm) and 12″ (30 cm), respectively. The new versions have the same dimensions and pinouts as the originals, so they can be used as drop-in replacements for any applications that are not dependent on the original component locations.

Related products

	Pololu 38 kHz IR Proximity Sensor, Fixed Gain, High Brightness
	Pololu 38 kHz IR Proximity Sensor, Fixed Gain, Low Brightness

The UM7-LT and UM7 orientation sensors, originally developed by CH Robotics, are now being manufactured and supported by Redshift Labs. The updated versions of these sensors are now available from Pololu.

UM7-LT orientation sensor.

UM7 orientation sensor (with original enclosure) with included cable and U.S. quarter for size reference.

The UM7 is an Attitude and Heading Reference System (AHRS) that takes measurements from its three-axis accelerometer, gyro, and magnetometer and calculates orientation estimates with its integrated microcontroller. It is available with an enclosure as the UM7 or without one as the UM7-LT. Aside from a few updated components and the addition of a conformal coating on the UM7-LT, these sensors are functionally identical to the original versions produced by CH Robotics.

For more information about the orientation sensors, see their product pages below.

Related products

	UM7-LT Orientation Sensor
	UM7 Orientation Sensor

We are now offering two new products from XYZrobot: the Bolide Y-01 advanced humanoid robot DIY kit and the A1-16 smart servo.

The Bolide Y-01 DIY kit from XYZrobot comes with all of the components needed to build this advanced humanoid robot, including a Bluetooth controller, an Arduino-compatible ATmega1280 microcontroller, sensors, and 18 A1-16 smart servos. The ATmega1280 microcontroller comes preprogrammed to perform a range of complex movements, including dancing, walking and standing up in response to commands from the included Bluetooth remote or a smartphone or tablet running the XYZrobot app. The control board includes a three-axis accelerometer for maintaining postural stability and detecting falls, and the robot also has a distance sensor in its chest that can detect objects in front of it. For those interested in expanding the capabilities of this robot beyond the preprogrammed routines, the Bolide Y-01 control board can be programmed with the Arduino IDE and the XYZrobot Editor software. You can find more details about the Bolide Y-01 advanced humanoid robot DIY kit on its product page.

We are perhaps even more excited about carrying the A1-16 smart servos separately. These specialty servos are well suited for applications such as humanoid robots, hexapod robots, and robotic arms that require strong and complex actuation. Unlike the usual RC hobby servos, these servos are not only capable of 360° continuous rotation, but they also offer position control over an effective 330° range. To achieve this kind of motion, they use a TTL serial interface, which also allows them to be daisy chained and controlled from the same serial bus (this is their only method of control, so they will not work with standard RC receivers and servo controllers). In addition, these smart servos provide additional feedback such as position, speed, and temperature! The four-color LED featured on each servo is used as a visual error indicator by default, which is really handy to quickly determine if servos in a chain are experiencing a problem. Alternatively, this LED can be manually controlled through the serial interface. See the A1-16 smart servo product page for more information about this feature-packed servo.

Related products

	XYZrobot Bolide Y-01 Advanced Humanoid Robot DIY Kit
	XYZrobot Smart Servo A1-16

We are now carrying the FEETECH FS90 micro servo. At a weight of only 9 g and less than inch long, this servo is great for actuating tiny mechanisms. We also carry the continuous-rotation version of this servo, the FEETECH FS90R.

Related products

	FEETECH FS90 Micro Servo
	FEETECH FS90R Micro Continuous Rotation Servo

We made a short video showing how the parts of our new Romi chassis fit together:

Related products

	Romi Chassis Kit - Black
	Romi Chassis Kit - Pink
	Romi Chassis Kit - Red
	Romi Chassis Kit - Yellow
	Romi Chassis Kit - Blue
	Romi Chassis Kit - White

I am excited to announce the release of the Romi chassis, our new platform for mobile robotics. Romi is a 6.5″-diameter round chassis that includes all the basic mechanical parts that you need for a mobile robot: a base plate with integrated battery holder, motors and motor brackets, wheels with silicone tires, and a ball caster as a third point of contact.

The Romi chassis is designed to be extended. It includes numerous mounting holes and slots, including specific spots for Arduino and Raspberry Pi and a place in front for a second ball caster. The motors have extended shafts for use with Romi encoders in applications requiring precision. For power, you can choose between four and six AA cells; we recommend the Romi power distribution board for access to battery power.

As an example of what you can do, here is the chassis with a Raspberry Pi A+ and our A-Star Robot Controller mounted on top, with power, motors, and encoders all fully connected and operational:

The chassis is available in six different colors, and if you want to mix and match, you can head over to our Romi Chassis Components category and select the parts you want.

Related products

	Romi Chassis Kit - Black
	Romi Chassis Kit - Pink
	Romi Chassis Kit - Red
	Romi Chassis Kit - Yellow
	Romi Chassis Kit - Blue
	Romi Chassis Kit - White

We are now selling T1-3/4 (5mm) common anode RGB LEDs! These multi-color LEDs contain red, green, and blue (RGB) elements that can be mixed to produce different colors. The three color elements share a common anode and are encased in a diffused white lens that blends the colors and widens the viewing angle. This product is a pack of five (5) RGB LEDs.

These LEDs replace the RGB LEDs with a common cathode that we used to sell. The common-anode setup of the new ones is nice because you can drive the LEDs with a low-voltage microcontroller I/O pin in an open-drain configuration (provided the pins can handle the current and are tolerant of the LED supply voltage). If you need to build your own drive circuit, you just need one low-side transistor per LED.

Here are some other posts on our blog about LEDs:

• Simple LED circuit
• Simple LED circuit abstractions

Related products

T1-3/4 (5mm) RGB LED with Diffused Lens (5-pack)

We now have a magnetic encoder pair kit available for our mini plastic gearmotors with extended back shafts. Like our encoder kit for micro metal gearmotors, these kits consist of Hall effect sensor boards that mount to the back of the motors and magnetic discs that fit on the motors’ back shafts. The encoders provide a resolution of 12 counts per revolution of the motor shaft (when counting both edges of both channels); in terms of counts per gearbox output shaft revolution, the resolution is multiplied by the corresponding gear ratio.

For more details about the encoder kit, see the product page.

Related products

	Magnetic Encoder Pair Kit for Mini Plastic Gearmotors, 12 CPR, 2.7-18V
	120:1 Mini Plastic Gearmotor HP, 90° 3mm D-Shaft Output, Extended Motor Shaft
	120:1 Mini Plastic Gearmotor HP, Offset 3mm D-Shaft Output, Extended Motor Shaft
	120:1 Mini Plastic Gearmotor, 90° 3mm D-Shaft Output, Extended Motor Shaft
	120:1 Mini Plastic Gearmotor, Offset 3mm D-Shaft Output, Extended Motor Shaft

We’ve just released our VL53L0X Time-of-Flight Distance Sensor Carrier. With its ability to measure distances up to 2 m depending on configuration, target, and environment, the VL53L0X is a longer-range version of the VL6180X (but without ambient light sensing functionality) that operates using the same principles. This integrated lidar module times how long it takes for pulses of infrared light to reach a target, reflect off it, and arrive back at the sensor. It uses this information to report the range to the target with a resolution of 1 mm and accuracy as good as ±3%, minimizing the effect of the target’s reflectance on the measured distance.

VL53L0X datasheet graph of typical ranging performance (in default mode).

As usual, our breakout board adds a 2.8 V regulator and level shifters to help interface with 3.3 V and 5 V systems, as well as a breadboard-compatible pinout and mounting holes. We are also working on an Arduino library for the VL53L0X that we expect to release in the next few days.

For more information about the VL53L0X carrier, see its product page.

Related products

	VL53L0X Time-of-Flight Distance Sensor Carrier with Voltage Regulator, 200cm Max
	VL6180X Time-of-Flight Distance Sensor Carrier with Voltage Regulator, 60cm max

We are now offering the Hakko FA-400 Smoke Absorber. The Hakko FA-400 is a benchtop smoke absorber for removing smoke generated by soldering. It has an easily-replaceable activated-carbon filter and a sturdy ESD-safe housing that can be oriented horizontally or vertically.

Related products

Hakko FA-400 Smoke Absorber